Thousands protest against communal riots in Bangladesh

Thousands of activists marched in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Tuesday to denounce a wave of violence against minority Hindus over an allegedly blasphemous social media post in the predominantly Muslim South Asian country.
The ruling Awami League party of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina organized the "harmony procession and peace rally" a day after assailants carried out arson attacks on a remote village in the northern Rangpur district, leaving at least 20 Hindu homes burnt to ash.
The violence on Sunday night was caused by rumours of an offensive image and remarks about Islam in a Facebook post allegedly by a local Hindu man. It comes amid communal tension over the alleged desecration of a Koran at a Hindu festival last week.
"We will build united resistance against the troublemakers," Obaidul Quader, general secretary of the ruling party, told a gathering of more than 8,000 people, according to the organizers, in front of the party headquarters in central Dhaka.
The government will do everything possible to ensure the safety of Hindus, said Quader, also a senior Cabinet minister, urging the minority community not to be fearful at the time of difficulty.
The activists then paraded through the city streets carrying banners and placards inscribed with calls for maintaining communal harmony. "Religion is for individuals, but Bangladesh is for all," read one of the placards.
Similar processions were organized in other districts outside of Dhaka to protest the communal riots that began last week over the alleged desecration of the Koran during the Hindu celebration of Durga Puja.